Winter Break

Day 1 of Winter Break -- Thursday, December 20, 2007

Forget going to work! I started my Winter Break a day (or 2) earlier and hopped on a plane to Las Vegas! :) Bro dropped BF and I off at LAX. We were scheduled to depart at 8:51 AM but around 8:30 AM, they announced that our flight got canceled. Mayhem just about broke out, but since the announcer reminded us that "we are all going to be adults about this," people were upset but "being adult" about it all. In the meantime, BF hustled over to the next airline and scored us tickets on the next flight out. We didn't want to take any risks.

Our flight went just fine and we ended up meeting BF's parents at our usual meeting spot, Mandalay Bay. We went straight to Red Rock Casino, where we checked in and ate a brief lunch. We played a few penny slots before I went upstairs to rest and freshen up for dinner. Around 6:00 P.M., I started fretting b/c BF's Dad was picking us up at 6:15 and BF hadn't come up to the hotel room yet! When I got a hold of him, he said, "Guess what...I just won one thousand two hundred and twenty-seven dollars!!" Holy snikeys! Did I hear right?

I sure did! When I met him downstairs, he waved his W-2 form (yes, he received a W-2 form) and I took a picture of him in the lobby. :)

BF's Dad picked us up and we met his mom, sister, and aunt at Outback for dinner. I had 2/3 of my delicious prime rib special before sister got me all engaged in causal theories of autism. Afterwards, we went back to Red Rock and gambled a little more and had Ben & Jerry's. Shortly after, they left and BF and I gambled a little more. I got tired and went upstairs for a nice salt bath in front of a small plasma TV. After I fell asleep, BF came up shortly after.

Day 2 of Winter Break -- Friday, December 21, 2007

I got up and took another bath and then headed downstairs to lounge a bit, while BF slept in. We gambled a bit more (meaning I lost a bit more) and then I ate a quick lunch (in other words, 45 minutes for a burrito) while BF gambled some more. Eventually, BF's Dad picked us up and we went to his parents' place for a little get-together with his father's side. When we got there, I helped Tita from NY make a Waldorf salad (I learned how to make a fancy-sounding dish!). Afterwards, everybody went to Red Rock...where I finally won! I was down $100 and BF gave me another $100 that I lost...but then I won $100. :) Eventually, I retreated early again. BF said he'd be up soon, but he didn't get in until about 6 AM.

Day 3 of Winter Break -- Saturday, December 22, 2007

Since I knew BF would be sleeping in late, I got up and indulged in a yummy brunch buffet on my own. I really enjoyed it because it's rare that I can eat at my own slow pace and as much as I want. I out-ate 3 parties, I think. =P I lost another $15 before I retreated to the lobby and then got BF some Starbucks and went back upstairs. BF and I got ready for the family dinner holiday party and then headed downstairs to play some more...where I lost again. BF won another $200 right before his Dad picked us up. We got to the restaurant and helped set up a tiny bit. The party started between 6:30 - 7 and lasted until about 10:30.

BF's parents can sure host a party and his family can sure party! The event began with BF's dad giving a speech and then an uncle minister praying. We commenced dinner "Filipino style" and then Ate from SF played a slideshow. Later, a distant relative sang a Christmas song. Still later, the adults boogied down to a bunch of 70s and 80s songs. It was ridiculous in an awesome way. :) Throughout the evening, pictures were taken and printed and then gifts were given away to everyone. We all left and went back to Red Rock. I met BF's parents, Tita from NY, and SF Niece and partner at the Cafe to debrief a little bit over dessert. I had a drink or two, won a little bit, and quickly called it a night...

Day 4 of Winter Break -- Sunday, December 23, 2007

We woke up and checked out of our lovely room around 1 PM. We met with BF's family downstairs for a short hour before we hopped onto an airport shuttle. Since we got to the airport 3 hours early, BF and I checked out ALL of the stores. Along the way, I fell in love with the iSqueez from Brookstone. :) When it was time to board, wouldn't you know it, our plane was delayed for about 45 minutes. The flight was manageable since we had individual screens. I watched a bunch of nerdy medical stuff (e.g., neurosurgeries; procedure to stop PD tremors). Still, it felt like a long flight since both BF and I were sick. We landed in the Long Beach airport where BF and I got separated and I nearly had a panic attack b/c of the unknown territory and mass crowds. When I finally got outside to where the baggage claim was, I frantically asked the nearest smoker, how do I get like outside of this place?? He looked at me like I was nuts and pointed a few yards away. I totally felt like an idiot. Then I spotted BF a few yards away to the right "outside," in the usual spot where I pick him up. FBIL picked us up and we safely got home to our precious Lil F. Although Vegas was fun, there's no place like home, as they say.

Christmas Eve in SM

Today, I woke up and actually went to Costco. I got in and out of there alive, despite two people trying to yank my parking spots. After I gathered my things, I headed over to SM to meet my Medical Relatives, Genius Relatives, Daddy, Gramma, and Best Bro. We had a delicious potpourri of Chinese and American foods and desserts. Bro and I left around 9 PM since I wasn't feeling so well. Plus, I hadn't heard from BF all day, which made me nervous. Turns out he had slept a whopping 21 hours total, in his fight against his cold! Despite both of us being sick, it is nice that we got to spend Christmas both with our families and with each other. Merry Christmas!